Special congress passes vote to create new executive post

A new senior position is to be created within the executive staff of the TUI for the union's former president and acting education/research officer, Mr Billy Fitzpatrick.

A special congress in Bundoran yesterday morning, before the TUI annual congress, to discuss the disputed education/research officer post at TUI head office resulted in a compromise.

The appointment of Ms Maureen Rafferty to the post in September last year was ratified by the delegates, and a vote was passed to create an additional officer post for Mr Fitzpatrick which would be "appropriate to his experience and expertise, and to the needs of the union".

The dispute over the job arose last year when complaints were made within the union that Mr Fitzpatrick, who was acting education/research officer for 2 1/2 years, should have been given the permanent job when it arose.

The job was advertised and subsequently awarded to Ms Rafferty, pending congress ratification.

Some 25 branches of the union called last December for a special congress to discuss the appointment and put forward a motion, part of which stated concern "at the processes and procedures used" in the education/research officer appointment "and the events surrounding it".

An internal inquiry into the appointment procedures was carried out by Mr Brian O'Moore SC which broadly exonerated the union's leadership.

Speaking after the result, Mr Fitzpatrick said he felt "fairly drained of emotion".

"Today is the result of 12 months of campaigning. I was shocked when I wasn't appointed and I am shocked now that I am - by congress."

He thanked the union for supporting him and said: "My faith in the members has borne fruition. Mistakes were made, but mistakes of this seriousness must not be made again."

Congratulating Mr Fitzpatrick, Ms Padraigin Ui Riordain, a delegate from Cork, said: "He reached out to ordinary members in schools and pioneered in-service training to cope with the stresses and strains of the job.

"Not appointing him to the education officer's job was a miscarriage of justice", said Ms Ui Riordain.

The vote to create the job for Mr Fitzpatrick, which was passed by a 15-vote margin, is a major blow for the TUI executive.

The amendment calling for the new officer post had been out of order but was voted back into order by the members, despite protests from the executive.

The general secretary, Mr Jim Dorney, said creating the job was contrary to the rules of the union, which required officers' jobs to be filled in a certain way.

After the vote, Mr Dorney said appointing Mr Fitzpatrick to the post would involve either changing the rules of the organisation or advertising the post publicly, as with any officer position.